Natera, Inc. (NASDAQ:NTRA) Receives Average Recommendation of “Buy” from Analysts

Natera, Inc. (NASDAQ:NTRA) has received an average rating of “Buy” from the seventeen brokerages that are currently covering the firm, MarketBeat.com reports. Seventeen equities research analysts have rated the stock with a buy recommendation. The average 12-month price target among brokerages that have covered the stock in the last year is $137.65.

Several equities research analysts recently issued reports on NTRA shares. UBS Group decreased their price target on shares of Natera from $160.00 to $145.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a report on Friday, August 9th. Stephens reaffirmed an “overweight” rating and set a $125.00 target price on shares of Natera in a research note on Friday, August 9th. StockNews.com downgraded shares of Natera from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating in a report on Thursday. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised their price objective on Natera from $135.00 to $160.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Wednesday. Finally, Canaccord Genuity Group upped their target price on Natera from $150.00 to $165.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Wednesday.

Insider Activity at Natera

In other Natera news, Director Gail Boxer Marcus sold 2,212 shares of Natera stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, November 14th. The stock was sold at an average price of $158.53, for a total value of $350,668.36. Following the completion of the sale, the director now directly owns 19,386 shares in the company, valued at approximately $3,073,262.58. The trade was a 10.24 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, Director Rowan E. Chapman sold 2,614 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, September 13th. The stock was sold at an average price of $127.68, for a total value of $333,755.52. Following the transaction, the director now owns 7,969 shares in the company, valued at $1,017,481.92. The trade was a 24.70 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold a total of 36,821 shares of company stock worth $4,776,878 over the last quarter. Company insiders own 7.60% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Natera

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of NTRA. Itau Unibanco Holding S.A. bought a new position in shares of Natera during the 2nd quarter worth about $28,000. Quarry LP boosted its holdings in Natera by 148.4% in the second quarter. Quarry LP now owns 318 shares of the medical research company’s stock worth $34,000 after acquiring an additional 190 shares in the last quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC boosted its holdings in Natera by 50.0% in the second quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 324 shares of the medical research company’s stock worth $35,000 after acquiring an additional 108 shares in the last quarter. Covestor Ltd grew its stake in Natera by 34.3% in the third quarter. Covestor Ltd now owns 372 shares of the medical research company’s stock valued at $47,000 after acquiring an additional 95 shares during the period. Finally, True Wealth Design LLC bought a new stake in shares of Natera during the third quarter valued at approximately $57,000. 99.90% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Natera Stock Down 3.3 %

NASDAQ NTRA opened at $146.06 on Friday. The business has a fifty day moving average price of $127.38 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $115.46. The stock has a market capitalization of $19.28 billion, a PE ratio of -82.99 and a beta of 1.53. Natera has a fifty-two week low of $52.01 and a fifty-two week high of $167.79. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.33, a current ratio of 4.39 and a quick ratio of 4.01.

Natera (NASDAQ:NTRA) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, November 12th. The medical research company reported ($0.26) earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of ($0.57) by $0.31. Natera had a negative return on equity of 26.23% and a negative net margin of 14.01%. The business had revenue of $439.80 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $361.43 million. During the same period in the prior year, the company earned ($0.95) EPS. Natera’s revenue for the quarter was up 63.9% on a year-over-year basis. Equities analysts expect that Natera will post -1.96 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Natera Company Profile

Natera, Inc, a diagnostics company, develops and commercializes molecular testing services worldwide. Its products include Panorama, a non-invasive prenatal test that screens for chromosomal abnormalities of a fetus, as well as in twin pregnancies; Horizon carrier screening test for individuals and couples determine if they are carriers of genetic variations that cause certain genetic conditions; Vistara single-gene NIPT screens for 25 single-gene disorders that cause severe skeletal, cardiac, and neurological conditions; Spectrum, preimplantation genetic tests for couples undergoing IVF; Anora that analyzes miscarriage tissue from women; Empower, a hereditary cancer screening test; and non-invasive prenatal paternity product, which allows a couple to establish paternity without waiting for the child to be born.